Trapped Without Bonds
by MuddSkipping
Summary: The world is caving in around Danny. No one knows this more than his arch-enemy, Vlad Masters. But the billionaire never imagined what could have come next. Danny in a hospital, over a hundred hostages, bomb strapped to his chest, having already lost everything and he holds the detonator. What is Danny going to do when the last person he wants to see, shows up? Father/Son, post TUE
1. Chapter One

**Hi everyone. This will hopefully just be a two-shot. A dramatic one, at that too. If I can possibly pull it off. Ha, anyway, thanks for tuning in and I really do hope you enjoy. **

**No PP, guys. And this will also be Danny/Vlad Father/Son fanfic. But you'll see what is going on as you read. Lots of love. Enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

The soft humming was disturbing. It was constant, and while trying to think, it wasn't bearable. The man suddenly shouted at his cab driver, who was currently singing an annoying tune in his head. At being reprimanded, the driver shot a glare in the rear-view mirror, but alas, stopped his humming.

Pinching the top of his nose in agitation and quite frankly, relief, Vlad Masters sighed.

But in remembering just what the situation was, he was engulfed back into his thoughts. And they consisted of just one certain young man: _Daniel Fenton._

And they were not good thoughts, either. On the contrary, they were the opposite. And that was why the billionaire was currently riding in a cab.

Considering it was roughly 3AM in the morning, he looked disheveled and exhausted. That was to be expected, of course, but it did not make the man feel any better.

Vlad sat there and wasted away time glowering at the younger hybrid in his mind, wondering just what he should do to the boy when he arrived. It was incredulous this had happened, and when the police called him and announced the situation, the older man couldn't help but almost chuckle. He didn't believe it to be true, at first; that Daniel would do this, that he would be that incredibly ridiculous. Or for lack of a better word:_ bitterly stupid._

He would determine the exact situation when he arrived, but in the meantime, he needed to decide a course of action.

Because it was his responsibility; he was the mayor.

He seriously began to wonder if he could just 'drop out' of being mayor.

This was the fourth time Daniel was doing something that involved the authorities.

The first two times had involved many things, the police being alerted, setting up a barricade, and of course, Vlad being called himself, were all because of a silly ghost attack that Daniel could not handle.

And it amused the billionaire quite a bit, actually; to see his younger foe so defeated by a lousey weak ghost. It was much smaller than the boy himself; by a few feet. And it also had horrible aiming skills.

To say it bluntly, it was hilarious.

But considering the man was the mayor of this ghost ridden town, it was his job to fix the boy's mistakes. And he did.

It was effortless. Just taking a ghost hunting weapon out of one of the Guys' in White hands, he shot at the little ghost, thus making it fall to the ground and eventually puff out of existence.

After it ended, Vlad had planned to check up on the boy to view what was perhaps_ wrong_ with the boy, by stalking him with health rating and charts, he came back with nothing; nothing at all.

The vitals of a healthy seventeen year old; although, with the exception of ghost powers.

It didn't make sense; something should have been amiss. And if it wasn't in his vitals, then it had to be with something else. And what other vital life source did the teen have?** His family**.

But Vlad's plans were postponed, because that same night he was going to do his 'research' another disaster happened.

And it scarred the man deeply, and his entire picture of the boy shattered.

A citizen perished._ By the boy's own two hands._

The image of the young half-ghost standing there.. bloody, crimson stained hands and body, a desolate expression etched onto his face, his once glowing blue eyes a solid grey color.

"**BANG**"

Vlad Masters jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden loud banging sound that had brought him out of his dark memories.

Looking out of his window, he realized it was the sheriff. And that he had arrived at the scene.

Quickly getting out of the cab, he addressed the sheriff was a deep and concerned voice, although, whether it was acting or real concern, you couldn't be sure.

"Has anything happened since our call?" Vlad asked, looking up into the sky, and the mass that was placed in it.

"We cannot tell. He is placed in a strategic area where we can't get a clear shot of him."

Vlad nodded, taking in the entire scene around him. Police cars, Guys' in White, and ten or fifteen frightened pedestrians. But by the roaring sound of a helicopter and sirens, it was obvious that the stressful moment wasn't going to end anytime soon.

Looking back to the sheriff again, he asked, "Has anyone gone in yet to try and pacify the ghost yet?"

The commanding officer shook his head gravely. "No, not as of yet. We are afraid if we do, he will activate the detonator. And we can't have the happen, not with the hostages."

At hearing those words, Vlad seemed to have missed a breath. But as quickly as the fear flew over his heart, it disappeared.

As if he was in a business meeting, the man announced, "Yes, well, the distressed ghost can be negotiated with. The words must be perfect, though. We can't allow any error in this case."

Agreeing with the man, the sheriff turned back towards the looming object in the sky, the Amity Park Memorial Hospital.

"And he really did pick the perfect place to attack, didn't he?"

The words didn't reach the mayor's ears. It was silenced out by the loud pumping of his heart.

_Just what did the boy think he was doing? Blast the damn child._

He couldn't continue mopping up the boy's messes. He was able to shadow as much as he could with the.. murd- death, and the ghost battles, but this.. he wasn't positive he could repair this.

Daniel was doomed unless he did something. But he had to do it correctly, because if he did not then his entire facade as being an average, billionaire mayor was over. And they would connect the dots, eventually. The dots that led to his ghost half.

And not only would they get him,_ they would get Daniel._

And he just wasn't going to let that happen.

He vowed to watch over Daniel after that fatal night when he took the man's life.

It was his sole job as the boy's godfather to protect him.

Looking back at the monstrous tower, he came to a conclusion.

"**I will go**," he declared, causing the distracted sheriff to turn back to him in surprise. But after a couple of seconds, it suddenly melded into a stern frown.

"I cannot allow that, Mayor Masters. That would be a disastrous attempt at reconciliation with the ghost and it would be unforgivable if you came back harmed because of it."

"It was not a request, John," Vlad said, his voice deadly toneless and silent, "It was an order."

It was almost as if the air itself grew apprehensive from the tension growing between the two men as they stared down one another, Vlad's daring eyes almost challenging the man to tell him no.

The sheriff, on the other hand, knew the look in his mayor's eyes. He had known him for the past three and a half years. It was the look Masters' always had when he knew he could not be repudiated.

And much to the officer's dismay, he forced himself to nod in defeat.

Vlad's tense stare and attitude seemed to repel back at bit, but it was still there, just well hidden behind the man's eyes. "Thank you for your corporation, Commander, I appreciate it."

He couldn't force himself to smile, so he instead softened his tone, "I promise you will not be held accountable for anything that occurs once I enter the building."

Silence once again seemed to be unbearable again, only this time, it was a mournful silence as the officer had his head down. But after a couple of seconds of delayed action, the sheriff looked up at Vlad, his emotion suddenly vanishing from his features.

"Let's get you strapped in, then."

And over the next five minutes, the world seemed to blur together, something that Vlad had suffering from for the past year, as he was dressed with a anti-ghost resistant proof vest and supplied with as many communication related objects his body could handle, until the last defense mechanism was handed to him personally by the sheriff; **a gun**.

"Just in case," the man said, before nodding to Vlad and walking away, getting read to send the man into the medical ward.

Vlad watched his form retreat, before finally looking down at the weapon in his hand. Specifically, it was a ghost assault weapon, meaning, it was to be used on Daniel if necessary.

And at just the thought of having to..

Vlad shuddered at the very thought of it. He could** never** possibly harm the boy again. Not after everything.. that had happened to him. He simply did not deserve it.

Vlad Masters gaze fell away from the gun, and went to the massive building.

Ever since Danny had become an orphan, it was his responsibility to watch over him and guide him the correct ways. It was an arduous task; the boy hated the man more than he could ever express. And after the death of his parents, it seemed to grow tenfold.

He hadn't had a real conversation with the boy in over a year..

And now, he finally decided to approach the teen when he was in a building, with hundreds of ill, innocent citizens in it.

With a bomb strapped to his torso, ready to blow at any second.

"Are you ready to go, Mayor Masters?"

His entire core screamed at him to leave before he became too involved, that this was a terrible choice and that the half-ghost in there, the suicidal teenager, was not his responsibility. It was not his job to save his young arch-enemy. Even if he was mayor.

But it was not his core that screamed the loudest;** but his heart**.

And it said all that he needed to hear before he was certain of what he was about to do: he would do the same.

"Yes, I am ready."

* * *

**Kind of dark, huh. But not as dark as it will get. Thanks for reading, and the next chapter will be out as soon as I can get it out. Please tell me what you thought of it. It just fills my heart with gratitude. Constructive criticism is gladly welcomed as well. **

**Please review to your hearts content. Love you guys~ **


	2. Chapter Two

**Hey everyone! I apologize this was released so late. I meant to get this out much earlier, but with school and work it was pretty difficult. But here it is now. Also, I would like to mention that this is actually going to be a three-shot. I had too much to put into one chapter, so I decided to split them instead.**

**And I would like to add that this is an alternate universe in which TUE occurred differently as in Danny did not go to Vlad for help. Vlad's and Danny's personality changes remain the same though. **

**Thank you for checking this story out, and please enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, rights go to Butch Hartman. **

* * *

Vlad's two hundred cash dress shoes tapped loudly on the glossy marble flooring, echoing dangerously in the dark and deserted hallways, all but reminding the billionaire of the years he spent alone in that_ blasted_ hospital after the portal accident.

And to be back at one was just adding salt to the wound.

Surveying his surroundings, the man took in the utter emptiness. And even with his enhanced hearing, there was not a sound. Not even the steady beating of a heart monitor.

He continued on his way; going down the hallway.

The lights were on, but they seemed to just glow dully, as if they were burning out. It was bewildering, considering he had been here previous times on mayoral visits for the young patients. But now the doctors, nurses, and patients seemed to have just vanished. Even if it was at a late hour, the night nurses would be on the clock.

Carefully scanning the rooms as he passed them, he noticed how every single door was closed. This peaked the man's curiosity, and he quickly turned intangible and phased into one of the rooms.

What was inside shocked him.

The patient in the room was sleeping soundly, from what he could tell. Only, the heart monitor was off. And when he noticed this, he also noticed something else. None of the other machines were on. Not the breathing regulator, or any of the computers. And the man also realized with this, that the IV had been removed out of the patient's arm. Although, there did not seem to be an exit wound...

After finding a pulse, much to Vlad's relief, he phased out of the room and began walking towards the elevator.

He didn't understand; what was happening?

All of the systems were offline, everything besides the lights, but somehow the patients were being kept stable?

His brows furrowed in deep thought. What the hell was going on?

Having enough of the game Danny was playing, he smashed the elevator button violently and glared at it as it_ slowly_ came downwards to him.

"He is seriously one demented child. If he believes I'm just going to sit around and let him do this to himself.." He spoke silently in threat, his foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

The man knew many things could have led to this turnout, though. Daniel turning on the entire world in the same way it turned on him. After all he had done to protect it, in the end no one cared when his entire universe came burning down around him. They simply expected their same hero to come back and protect them like he had always done.

The man hissed darkly under his breath at the unfairness of it all.

These citizens didn't deserve what they had received from Daniel; they didn't deserve any of it. He sacrificed everything he could for them and now that he had suddenly become a threat, all of the past heroics were completely forgotten in their minds. The man expected that much from the run down town, as he knew what the majority of it was like as being the mayor. And quite frankly, the older half ghost didn't care very much of what the town folks thought of him, but he knew it was the exact opposite for Danny; the boy cared so much for others, and yet those 'others' don't care the same. It was pitiful watching the boy try so desperately. And eventually, Danny couldn't go any further.

And Vlad concluded that was how they had gotten to this point. With Danny as the villain.

Did that mean Daniel was doing all of this just for revenge? Certainly the billionaire wouldn't blame him if that were so. Actually, the man believed that if that was what Danny decided to do, than he was justified to do so. After all that happened, after all he gave for the town, there was no more the boy could sacrifice.

And from what Vlad had heard, the bullying he received at his school ended as well. But the way it was told to him, by Danny's English teacher, it seemed as if it didn't just end because the other teenagers who went to his school felt apologetic. On the contrary, it was because Daniel had done something to them.

It wasn't like the billionaire believed those rumors though. They could have been falsely started by his other pupils, but it was beginning to become grueling to keep up the bleak faith he had in the boy's beliefs. Especially now that he is threatening an entire hospital.

If the boy wouldn't ever wish to cause harm to a human, then why did that accident occur and why did that man perish?

The elevator opening 'ding' broke him out of his revere and he swiftly walked in.

Knowing he could just turn into his alter ego and teleport up to the room, something was holding him back. It was almost clawing at him, pulling him away from the room. But knowing that he was the only one who could possibly stop the boy, he clicked floor thirty.

He needed to think first of just what he was going to do. He knew he could simply talk sense to the boy, but considering Danny didn't trust him at all, Vlad didn't see that relieving the situation very well.

Vlad had a hand grasping his chin while he thought, mulling over the many solutions. He just had to play this out correctly. He couldn't afford to anger the young half ghost any more than he already was. But maybe that was just the way he could solve this issue.

The elevator opened to a dark hallway, much darker than the floor beneath him and he soon figured out why: all the lights had been blown out and the glass remains laid scattered all over the floor.

Scowling, he continued, shaking his head in an annoyed manner. "He can't seriously do things in a subtle manner, can he?"

The facade of the average billionaire mayor faded as he let his body become split down the middle by a black ring, and thus morphing him into Vlad Plasmius, allowing him to see further down the dark hallway.

If Vlad considered the other floors below deserted, this was on a whole different scale. There was absolutely nothing here and if it wasn't for his ghost half, he wouldn't be able to see anything at all.

He let out a curse as he nearly stepped on one of the glass shards that had fallen on the floor. He swore that getting to the boy was much harder than actually dealing with the boy. Bringing Vlad back to the question of why he hadn't just teleported to the room in the first place.

Vlad knew exactly where Danny was; just further down this hall to the right. And he could already see the right corridor. But something seemed to be pulling him away, something did not want him in there. Most likely, it was just Danny's ghost energy slightly elevated from the intense situation and stress his body was currently under, but he wasn't certain. It didn't feel right; it felt like _dark_ energy.

An exhausted sigh escaped his lips; he was tired of this.

Whether or not he chose to, he was the boy's godfather. He had enough time thinking about what to say; it was time to go and get Daniel.

He morphed and grabbed his cape, about to swing it around him when he momentarily paused, and it almost seemed as if he flinched. His whole body was screaming at him.

"**No**"

"**Don't do it**"

"**You're going to regret this**"

Fear gripped at him as the feeling and warnings continued to get louder as the 'dark' energy he felt coming from the room engulfed his mind.

Something was _very_ wrong.

Shutting out the gut wrenching feeling in his stomach, Vlad swung his cap around himself and vanished.

* * *

It was eerily silent when Vlad finally appeared in a whoosh of wind and red ectoplasmic energy. The first thing he realized when he entered was that the fear was gone; it had simply vanished from the room. His brows creased in confusion, but his attention was soon directed towards something else: the light source.

Looking up, he realized it was the moon peeking through the glass window. The window was actually a colorful cathedral mural and the moon was placed just perfectly in the sky to cascade a large amount of red and green blends into the dark room. And with the light source, he was able to tell that the room he was in was not just an ordinary room; it the hospital chapel. Although usually held in a different part of the building, this hospital was designed specifically for terminal patients who were not allowed to leave a specific section of the ward. Except, at the lacking pews and wall paper, the man was reminded that it was currently under construction. As mayor, he knew everything happening in his town.

Walking silently around, he could not sense the boy. He couldn't from the beginning, either. And with the 'dark' energy now gone, he had no idea if Danny was even in here anymore.

"You really have become dedicated to your job, huh."

When Vlad heard those words, or more specifically, that _voice_, his heart nearly skipped a beat. Turning sharply towards where he heard it, he was met with a bittersweet smile of a certain young half ghost.

"But _which_ job is the real question, though. Being mayor… or my _godfather_?" He spit out the last word in deep disdain, his eyes narrowing sharply at the man.

Vlad stood in shock, as he took in everything; the boy was sitting against a wall between two large glass windows that went all the way up to the ceiling, but instead of the mural above them, these did not display the light from the outside. The heavy maroon curtains prevented so.

He also noticed that the boy's posture was horrible and it seemed like he was just leaning against the wall for support. He was in his human form and his once defiant blue eyes were dull and almost drooping.

The more he studied, much to Danny's annoyance, the more his gut filled with dread. As much as the boy desperately tried to hide it, he was breathing erratically and extremely pale. And if those signs weren't enough of an indicator something _more_ was wrong, then why was he in his human form? Didn't he understand people were trying to kill him?

The detonator wasn't in Danny's hands either and he wasn't strapped to a bomb, nothing of the sort. He was just sitting there as if he had been was a regular patient. Were the police officers mistaken then, that Danny was acting in terrorism? Vlad wasn't going to let down his guard without being certain.

His eyes suddenly set on Danny, and it seemed that that question conjured more determination in the man to not allow this to continue any longer. No matter what, the boy had come here in absolution. He believed he was going to die here today, but if Danny thought that the man was just going to sit back and watch, he was gravely mistaken.

"I see you finally gave up on that foolish lifestyle, Daniel; it was childish, after all." Vlad shrugged, placing his hands behind his back.

The snide tone must have caught Danny of guard, because he instantly looked at Vlad in disbelief. But as quick as it came, it vanished into a calm smirk.

"Ha, yeah. Guess you're right. But then again, who do you possibly believe I learned it from?" Danny's voice was heavily sarcastic as he smiled sweetly at Vlad who just stared back at the boy with a placate expression.

"Suppose you're correct in that, my boy." Vlad said, moving closer to Danny's position between the windows. When Vlad neared him, Danny tensed up and almost instinctively got in a defensive position. Not giving it notice, the man continued on with what he was saying. Leaning down a couple feet from the boy's ear, he whispered, "But then, you forget that I've never actually killed a man."

After a couple of seconds of complete silence, Vlad moved away from the boy, and continued in the same calm tone, "If you didn't learn that from me, then who else could you have possibly learned it from, hm? Dear Maddie was too darling for that sort of thing, while Jasmine was a little too predictable for such violence. Oh yes, don't allow me to forget your friends," Vlad paused for a moment, as if pondering, "What were their names again, Samantha Mason and Tucker Foley? I am always a bit forgetful of unimportant people, after all."

Clicking the tongue on the top of his mouth in indifference, Vlad Plasmius continued, "I am certain those two wouldn't have shown any interest in the murdering of helpless citizens, I would have known if that was so." But suddenly turning back to Danny, Vlad's smirk returned and he stepped up once again next to the boy, "I know you haven't attended school for quite some time now, but you do know what happens when I subtract all the other candidates, correct? It leaves me with just _one_ left." Slowly, his red pupil-less eyes filled with fierce abhorrence, "Perhaps, Jack Fenton?"

In a roar of anguish, Danny morphed into Phantom and fired at Vlad from his place in front him and smashed the man into the wall behind them all in an instant.

Vlad let out a moan from his place on the floor, holding his chest in agony as a large burning gash was now covering over half of it. In the blunt stinging pain, Vlad hadn't expected that hit to cause that much damage on him. He knew Danny was most likely stronger by now, but he realized too late just how_ much_ stronger.

Attempting to slow his spinning vision, Vlad didn't realize his foe was quickly advancing towards him.

Suddenly being pulled off the floor and smashed against the wall, Vlad's breath was forced out of him. Letting out a cry of pain, Vlad attempted to push the boy off of him but to no avail. "You have_ no_ right to insult my family! They did absolutely nothing to cause this!" Danny yelled, his eyes flaring with green ectoplasmic energy, "If anyone is to blame for this, it would be us!"

Feeling the younger foe's fingers suddenly dig into his wounded chest, Vlad hissed in pain and forcibly blasted the child away from him. Danny slammed onto the ground, being pushed back several feet. Realizing that did not stop the boy, the man quickly produced an ecto-shield around himself and held his own against the strong blasts the boy began firing at it.

Much to his lowered self-pride, Vlad knew that he had to cause this reaction out of Daniel. If he didn't, he would never get out the reason of _why_ he was doing all of this. Vlad was done speculating what the cause was, he wanted to know and now.

No matter how long Vlad stayed in the shield, the ectoblasts did not waver in strength or numbers. If anything, they got stronger as Danny's frustration got greater. He could hear the boy shouting something, but it was muffled over the sound of his blasts and if Vlad tried to catch a glimpse of the boy, it was only blurred out by the green ecto-energy surrounding him. Vlad knew he couldn't last forever though.

Putting a palm to his burning chest, he realized then just how badly the boy had hit him. The man was dripping ectoplasm onto the floor at his feet and as much as he thought about it, it shouldn't have been that bad. But with the distraction of the shield to keep the boy busy, it allowed Vlad to closer inspect his bleeding wound.

And with that, he discovered that when the boy sunk his fingers into Vlad's wound earlier, he had embedded it with poison. Where he had possibly gotten the deadly toxin, the man did not know, but what he did know, was that he was in for one hell of a harder fight than he expected. This wasn't the same boy he fought two years ago; the boy he thought he knew. No, this person was different. He was malicious and bloodthirsty.

From the very beginning when Vlad had heard his voice, his knew that the person before him was not Danny. Even if over the years Danny had changed, nothing could have changed him to this extent. Not the murder that he committed, nor his family's death could cause this drastic a difference.

Danny would have not made those combat choices, either. He would have relied on his own strength, not attempted to use poison. He was honest in the way he fought, even if the odds were stacked up again him.

And also, Vlad knew that if that was the real Danny, than the man would already be more than half dead right now for daring to insult the boy's deceased loved ones.

Feeling the attacks become more sporadic and weak, Vlad let his shield fade away. At the clearing sight, Vlad saw Danny panting heavily and drenched in sweat. But realizing that the older hybrid was now unguarded, Danny forced himself to get back into a fighting stance.

Vlad needed so know for certain that the boy he was fighting was a fake.

Letting his palms fill with flaming red ectoplasm, Vlad also took a battle stance, "You want a fight," and two words were all it took to make Danny crack, "little badger?" In a flash of light, Danny's green eyes flashed red. And that was all the evidence Vlad needed.

This was someone else; another person was responsible for Daniel's actions and like bloody hell Vlad was going to sit here and allow it.

* * *

**So there you have it, chapter two! If you're wondering who this 'mystery' person is, it will all be revealed in the next chapter. As will the explaining of just what is going on. Please, if you don't mind, review for dear me? I would love to hear your opinions of it all. I have the next chapter completely planned out, so it will come much faster. :)**

**Thank you for reading, guys~ **


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